Even before adding small children to the mix, meal planning while traveling was a thing we did. We’d prefer a suite with a hot plate or small stove, pack some groceries and a chicken salad for the road, and go off on our adventures. Road trips included a fully stocked cooler and a healthy dose of a fear of the food making it to our destination. Sure, we saved money that opened up budget for activities instead of sustenance. We also got to eat a whole bunch more than stale bagels and cereal that dispenses from bulk bins for breakfast. But, we missed out on local flavor and stressed out more about food surviving the trip more than necessary.

If only we had had the {IMH} Digital Meal Planning Board at the time.

Even when traveling and cooking in limited kitchens or in a microwave and a coffee pot (which, yes, can be used for more than coffee), our food is based on real, whole foods: vegetables, fruits, fats, and proteins. It’s the easiest way for me to avoid a migraine, and cuts down on expense quite a lot. But buying food to prepare while on the road is a bit of a headache. It’s easy to forget items you keep at home all the time – salt and pepper key among them.

Here’s where the {IMH} Digital Meal Planning board was the biggest part of our vacation plans that was missing. Just as before, I could have planned out all of our meals – including noting when we’d eat out or eat with friends or family we were visiting. Armed with a fully prepared shopping list, including all the seasonings from home we would need but might forget to pack because, well, we always have salt and pepper in the house, our treks from home would have been simpler and more manageable, with fewer unnecessary items purchased and only two trips to the grocery store: one before leaving for road snacks and one upon arrival for food for our stay.

We went on these vacations long before the advent of short-term rentals that come with a full kitchen. We relied on hotel suites with two burner stoves or even motels with a coffee pot and a microwave. Now, the thought of easily finding and renting a room or a suite with access to a full kitchen through AirBnB, VRBO, or, my local favorite Guest One, the possibilities of meal planning and vacation are truly endless.